Sunday, January 31, 2010

The time to shakeup the Sixers is now. The only thing falling faster than the Sixers are in the standings are their ticket sales, which has the team hemorrhaging money left and right. The return of Allen Iverson, as expected, only made the Sixers a temporary novelty in Philadelphia and now they are simply an afterthought in a city counting down the days until pitchers and catchers report.

With the team realizing that this season is a wash, rumors have begun to swirl that every veteran Sixer has been placed on the trading block. While the Sixers would love to find someone willing to take Elton Brand off their hands, basically the only valuable commodity the team has is swingman Andre Iguodala. Iggy is "the man" in Philly but would be a great third option on a team with championship aspirations.

Enter the Cavaliers. Apparently the Cavaliers are dangling a package that would include former All Star Zydrunas Ilgauskas and a young player (J.J Hickson?) for Iguodala. Iggy would be a perfect fit for the Cavs as he is a solid defender and he could play a complimentary offensive role to LeBron James.

From the Cavs perspective, this deal makes a ton of sense. Ilgauskas has an expiring contract and, with Shaq, is part of the Cavs two-headed monster at center. While the Cavs would hate to part with Ilgauskas, they hold out the hope that whatever team they trade him to buys his contract out so the Cavs can simply sign him up again in 30 days.

So, does this deal make sense for the Sixers? The trade wouldn't be about getting Ilgauskas, they have no use for him on a team that has no hope for the playoffs. The deal is all about unloading Iguodala and getting some cap space that could be used down the road. On paper, the trade favors the Cavs by a landslide but the Sixers still might consider it if they feel that Iggy isn't going to be part of their next rebuilding project. Personally, I would hope the Sixers could get some kind of usable talent or draft pick in the deal but they almost have to take the best deal they can find if they throw Iggy out on the market.

Expect a ton of Andre Iguodala rumors to bubble up over the next few weeks. The rest of the NBA smells the blood in the water in Philly and they are hoping to swoop in and get some talent on the cheap. It will be up to the Sixers to try to get as many draft picks, cap space and young talent as they can for whatever pieces they ship out of town. Sixers GM Ed Stefanski has one last chance to save his legacy in Philadelphia, let's see if he can fix some of his mistakes with a few smart moves.